> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.openclaw.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# TUI

# TUI (Terminal UI)

## Quick start

1. Start the Gateway.

```bash  theme={"theme":{"light":"min-light","dark":"min-dark"}}
openclaw gateway
```

2. Open the TUI.

```bash  theme={"theme":{"light":"min-light","dark":"min-dark"}}
openclaw tui
```

3. Type a message and press Enter.

Remote Gateway:

```bash  theme={"theme":{"light":"min-light","dark":"min-dark"}}
openclaw tui --url ws://<host>:<port> --token <gateway-token>
```

Use `--password` if your Gateway uses password auth.

## What you see

* Header: connection URL, current agent, current session.
* Chat log: user messages, assistant replies, system notices, tool cards.
* Status line: connection/run state (connecting, running, streaming, idle, error).
* Footer: connection state + agent + session + model + think/verbose/reasoning + token counts + deliver.
* Input: text editor with autocomplete.

## Mental model: agents + sessions

* Agents are unique slugs (e.g. `main`, `research`). The Gateway exposes the list.
* Sessions belong to the current agent.
* Session keys are stored as `agent:<agentId>:<sessionKey>`.
  * If you type `/session main`, the TUI expands it to `agent:<currentAgent>:main`.
  * If you type `/session agent:other:main`, you switch to that agent session explicitly.
* Session scope:
  * `per-sender` (default): each agent has many sessions.
  * `global`: the TUI always uses the `global` session (the picker may be empty).
* The current agent + session are always visible in the footer.

## Sending + delivery

* Messages are sent to the Gateway; delivery to providers is off by default.
* Turn delivery on:
  * `/deliver on`
  * or the Settings panel
  * or start with `openclaw tui --deliver`

## Pickers + overlays

* Model picker: list available models and set the session override.
* Agent picker: choose a different agent.
* Session picker: shows only sessions for the current agent.
* Settings: toggle deliver, tool output expansion, and thinking visibility.

## Keyboard shortcuts

* Enter: send message
* Esc: abort active run
* Ctrl+C: clear input (press twice to exit)
* Ctrl+D: exit
* Ctrl+L: model picker
* Ctrl+G: agent picker
* Ctrl+P: session picker
* Ctrl+O: toggle tool output expansion
* Ctrl+T: toggle thinking visibility (reloads history)

## Slash commands

Core:

* `/help`
* `/status`
* `/agent <id>` (or `/agents`)
* `/session <key>` (or `/sessions`)
* `/model <provider/model>` (or `/models`)

Session controls:

* `/think <off|minimal|low|medium|high>`
* `/verbose <on|full|off>`
* `/reasoning <on|off|stream>`
* `/usage <off|tokens|full>`
* `/elevated <on|off|ask|full>` (alias: `/elev`)
* `/activation <mention|always>`
* `/deliver <on|off>`

Session lifecycle:

* `/new` or `/reset` (reset the session)
* `/abort` (abort the active run)
* `/settings`
* `/exit`

Other Gateway slash commands (for example, `/context`) are forwarded to the Gateway and shown as system output. See [Slash commands](/tools/slash-commands).

## Local shell commands

* Prefix a line with `!` to run a local shell command on the TUI host.
* The TUI prompts once per session to allow local execution; declining keeps `!` disabled for the session.
* Commands run in a fresh, non-interactive shell in the TUI working directory (no persistent `cd`/env).
* Local shell commands receive `OPENCLAW_SHELL=tui-local` in their environment.
* A lone `!` is sent as a normal message; leading spaces do not trigger local exec.

## Tool output

* Tool calls show as cards with args + results.
* Ctrl+O toggles between collapsed/expanded views.
* While tools run, partial updates stream into the same card.

## Terminal colors

* The TUI keeps assistant body text in your terminal's default foreground so dark and light terminals both stay readable.
* If your terminal uses a light background and auto-detection is wrong, set `OPENCLAW_THEME=light` before launching `openclaw tui`.
* To force the original dark palette instead, set `OPENCLAW_THEME=dark`.

## History + streaming

* On connect, the TUI loads the latest history (default 200 messages).
* Streaming responses update in place until finalized.
* The TUI also listens to agent tool events for richer tool cards.

## Connection details

* The TUI registers with the Gateway as `mode: "tui"`.
* Reconnects show a system message; event gaps are surfaced in the log.

## Options

* `--url <url>`: Gateway WebSocket URL (defaults to config or `ws://127.0.0.1:<port>`)
* `--token <token>`: Gateway token (if required)
* `--password <password>`: Gateway password (if required)
* `--session <key>`: Session key (default: `main`, or `global` when scope is global)
* `--deliver`: Deliver assistant replies to the provider (default off)
* `--thinking <level>`: Override thinking level for sends
* `--timeout-ms <ms>`: Agent timeout in ms (defaults to `agents.defaults.timeoutSeconds`)

Note: when you set `--url`, the TUI does not fall back to config or environment credentials.
Pass `--token` or `--password` explicitly. Missing explicit credentials is an error.

## Troubleshooting

No output after sending a message:

* Run `/status` in the TUI to confirm the Gateway is connected and idle/busy.
* Check the Gateway logs: `openclaw logs --follow`.
* Confirm the agent can run: `openclaw status` and `openclaw models status`.
* If you expect messages in a chat channel, enable delivery (`/deliver on` or `--deliver`).
* `--history-limit <n>`: History entries to load (default 200)

## Connection troubleshooting

* `disconnected`: ensure the Gateway is running and your `--url/--token/--password` are correct.
* No agents in picker: check `openclaw agents list` and your routing config.
* Empty session picker: you might be in global scope or have no sessions yet.


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